Although most of the globe has yet to benefit from a 5G network, the geopolitical race for the next big leap in telecoms technology has already begun.
Even if 6G is only a theoretical concept, the battle for it is already heating up, highlighting how geopolitics fosters technology rivalries, particularly between the US and China.
It’s evident that politicians in Washington and Beijing are already thinking about 6G. For example, in early 2019, former President Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted 6G “as soon as feasible.”
China has already made strides. According to Canadian media, the country launched a satellite in November to test radio waves for possible 6G transmission, and Huawei has a 6G research facility in Canada. ZTE, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, has teamed up with China Unicom Hong Kong to develop the technology.
The stakes for businesses and governments could not be higher. The first to invent and patent 6G will be the biggest winners in the next industrial revolution, according to some. A
6G, which might be up to 100 times faster than 5G’s highest speed, could bring the kind of technology that has long been a part of the market, albeit it will take at least a decade to become a reality. Real-time holograms in flight, as seen in science fiction. Taxis, as well as human bodies and brains, are all linked to the Internet.
